Snap-on electrical connectors for light fixtures are known in the art. In one prior art scheme, a connector assembly includes a nonconductive elongated U-shaped or channel-shaped housing which snaps onto a channel partially surrounding a pair of insulated electrical cables. The housing is defined by a base and sidewalls. The sidewalls of the housing snap onto the channel. The base includes a lower surface which faces the cables. Electrical connectors are attached to the lower surface of the housing. Such electrical connector is a unitary conductive piece including a base portion, a terminal portion and a spiked prong. The base portion of the connector lies flush and exposed against the lower surface of the base of the housing and the spiked prongs extend outward from each of the electrical connectors. The prongs are arranged so that each prong will align with one of the two insulated electrical cables when the housing is snapped over the channel surrounding the cables. An electrical wire is attached to a terminal at a distal end of the terminal portion by crimping, or the like. The electrical wire connects to one end of the bulb socket of the light fixture. When the housing is snapped over the channel, each of the spiked prongs pierces the insulation of a respective cable and become embedded within the cable. This causes the terminals, and thus the light fixture bulb socket, to be in electrical contact with the cables.
One disadvantage of this prior art scheme is that an electrical wire is required to connect the electrical connector to the light bulb socket, even when the light bulb is a baseless cartridge bulb. The use of the electrical wire creates potential connection problems and increases assembly time, cost and complexity, and potentially impairs reliability.
Baseless cartridge bulb sockets are also known in the art. Examples of such sockets are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,633,149, 4,429,945, 4,938,708 and 4,938,709. The electrical connectors in those patents do not include spiked prongs. Instead, electrical connection is made between the connector and the electrical cable by crimping, or the like.
There is still a need for a snap-on baseless cartridge bulb socket which can be connected to electrical cables by spiked prongs, which completely eliminates the need for crimping, and which is simple to install and fabricate. The present invention fills that need.